Solo Exhibition: Work of Nancy Farmer at Galleryeight
Art Exhibition From: 1/6/2008 To: 15/6/2008

Sullen fairies, belligerent demons and other curious monsters - dark, whimsical contemporary art, all with a satirical edge and a twist of humour – Nancy Farmer’s paintings could be mistaken for fantasy art – but this is not quite accurate, rather, she holds a murky and distorted mirror up to ordinary life.

Her characters resonate with modern-day decadences - the fairies are delinquent; the devils bored, half-heartedly persecuting the Dammed merely because it is their job to do so; the guardian angel is fat and indolent, her rose-tinted spectacles shielding any wrong-doing from her ‘watchful’ eyes. A sad lost gentleman is found in a bar full of curious demons, but refuses to leave and admit he’s in the wrong place, while the smartly dressed devil is equally on edge in a rather tacky wine bar full of ‘ordinary’ people. Here are monsters and demons, certainly, but here are also our colleagues, friends and relations, and it is often uncertain quite which are which.

Exhibition at Galleryeight, 8 Market Place, Glastonbury, Somerset BA6 9HW

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Summer Exhibition 2008

9 June – 17 August 2008

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Information for artists who have entered

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The Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition is the largest open contemporary art exhibition in the world, drawing together a wide range of new work by both established and unknown living artists.

Summer Exhibition 2007: Installation view of the Lecture Room Photograph by FXP and John Riddy

Held annually since the Royal Academy’s foundation in 1768, the Summer Exhibition is a unique showcase for art of all styles and media, encompassing paintings, sculpture, prints and architectural models. An essential part of the London art calendar, the show drew over 150,000 visitors in 2007. Following long Academy tradition, the exhibition is curated by an annually rotating committee whose members are all practising artists. The majority of works are for sale. Any artist may enter work for selection.

The Committee gathers to view works which are passed on front of it by a human chain of art handlers. This process reduces over 11,000 submissions (including works by Royal Academicians) to a number closer to 2,000 which then have to go through a more rigorous selection procession. Metal wands, one surmounted by a letter ‘D’, the other by a more ominous letter ‘X’, have survived from the Academy’s earliest days. A work which receives the vote of 3 or more Academicians is awarded a ‘D’ for ‘Doubtful’ and goes through to the next round of selection. Works which get the ‘X’ are returned to the store to be collected by the artist. The second round of selection reduces 2,500 potential exhibits to something closer to 1,200. The next step is hanging the exhibition.

With 1,200 works to be displayed the amount of visible wall and floor space can diminish rapidly during the two weeks it usually takes to hang the entire exhibition. The final effect can be startling for visitors who are used to seeing art hung more sparsely. Some Academicians, notably Peter Blake RA, have even filled the galleries with as many art works as possible, playing with visitors’ expectations, and creating a particular frisson in the galleries. Regardless of how many works are exhibited in any one gallery — and it does vary — a lot of effort goes into creating an engaging environment in which each work is shown to best possible advantage. Moving a work can upset the dynamic in an entire gallery and require days of rehanging to achieve a new balance.

Sponsor’s statement

Now entering our third year as title sponsor of the Summer Exhibition, Insight Investment is delighted to be associated with the innovation and creativity for which the event is renowned. Insight Investment was launched in September 2002 and is already one of the UK’s largest investment managers with £109 billion assets under management as at 31st December 2007. We manage funds for institutional and retail clients across a range of asset types including equities, bonds, derivatives and alternatives, with the aim of providing precise investment solutions to meet our clients’ investment needs. As the asset manager of HBOS plc, our parentage brings the benefits of strategic strength provided by one of the largest banks in Europe.

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The Affordable Art Fair returns to the Passenger Shed, Temple Meads, Bristol on the 16 - 18 May. 55 galleries will exhibit a fresh line-up of contemporary paintings, sculpture, photography and original prints - all priced between £50 and £3,000. Click on the logo above to visit their website.
The fair’s relaxed atmosphere invites first time buyers to browse amongst the thousands of artworks, whilst seasoned collectors can seek out hot new artists. Free hands-on print making workshops for adults and children run over the weekend making it an enjoyable day out for all the family.

AAF’s convenient location next to Bristol’s railway station makes it simple for visitors coming in from elsewhere, and those who show a rail ticket for travel to Temple Meads on the day they attend the fair, will be given half price entry. By car there is easy access from the M4 and M5.

The Affordable Art Fair Bristol is the largest art fair in the West of England and the perfect environment in which to look, love and leave with a unique piece of contemporary art.

The next Affordable Art Fair in Battersea Park, London is on Thursday 23 - Sunday 26 October 2008.

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